Mikumo was kneading bread dough in the back of the kitchen in the bakery when he heard Uraraka's voice. He smiled at the sound of his girlfriend's voice. He quickly finished up the kneading and washed his hands before hanging up his apron and going out to sit with her. Izuku had told him about what Deku had told her so he was surprised that Uraraka was still dating him at all.
He retrieved his usual, a strawberry tart and a strawberry-banana smoothie and joined her at the table where she already had her usual, a caramel mocha. She sat with her friends: Mina, Kirishima, Tsu, Iida, and Bakugou. Mikumo sat next to his girlfriend.
At first, Mikumo was surprised to hear Bakugou actually speaking. He didn't say much, but every sentence he muttered had at least one cuss word in it.
Wow, he hasn't changed his vocabulary a bit... Izuku commented making Mikumo chuckle and everyone at the table look at him oddly but he waved it off. Still, Mikumo caught the look Uraraka gave him. He suppressed a sigh.
Are you going to do it? asked Izuku.
Yeah... Mikumo replied.
All of Uraraka's friends had to go in periods but when she had to leave, Mikumo asked her to stay.
"What is it, Mikumo?" she questioned. He took a deep breath.
"I know what happened," he said.
"You do?"
Mikumo nodded. "Yes. I am aware of everything. Even how you are holding back." She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'holding back', Mikumo?" "You don't want to date me but you are scared of the repercussions, aren't you?" She didn't reply, just look down, so Mikumo continued. "Uraraka, I have cherished our time but even I know this will not work. Not with the up and coming events."
She glanced up at him. "You mean the war...?" He nodded. "Yes, the war. Uraraka, it is best that we end it here. When the war comes, there is no reliability saying that either of us will survive. You will be fighting in the backlines as a hero in training most likely, but I, well Deku, will be on the frontlines with a higher chance of death." Uraraka gulped, obviously not having considered the thought that she would be fighting in the war.
"Whether it is me as Mikumo or Izuku or Deku, we are enemies, Uraraka. We've both known this. It was only wishful thinking. So let us end it here." She sighed but Mikumo could tell a weight was lifted off her shoulders, only to be replaced with a new one of impending war.
She finally nodded. "Alright, Mikumo." The brunette stood up, Mikumo following suit. He put his hand in a pocket and pulled out something but did not let Uraraka see him do that. Mikumo held out his hand and Uraraka took it and shook firmly. Mikumo swiftly slid the object into her hand. Her hazel eyes widened. Mikumo grinned.
"Until we meet again... On the battlefield."
_______________________________
Ochako stood outside of Soft Blossom Bakery and opened her hand.
She gasped and her eyes began to water.
I thought I was over him!
Ochako dried her eyes and put the now fixed necklace that she had thrown at Deku around her neck. She took a deep breath and steeled herself.
"Until we meet again, Mikumo."
She walked away from the Soft Blossom Bakery, never to return again.
_______________________________
Izuku sat on the sofa in the corner of the warehouse thinking about how to word the blog.
"Chief Deku!" He turned to see Kota bounding up to him. The boy had recently awakened his quirk and had been coming to Izuku for lessons on how to use it. Izuku has been very carefully training the boy so that he learned to use it to the use of the Quirkless Rejects and not end up using it in a way unbefitting of them. Izuku closed the laptop and handed it to Ruske.
"Finish this and show it to me when you are done. We will be in the training bunkers." Ruske nodded. "Yes, Chief." The training bunkers were a group of bunkers about two miles away that the Quirkless Rejects had bought from the black market, originally used for organ auctions years back but that group had been found by the authorities and shut it down. Now Izuku used it to train the quirked members of the Quirkless Rejects.
He followed Kota to where the group of quirked members was. So far they were Shinsou(Cateye), Jodie(Butterfly), Todoroki, Kota, Aizawa, Yashu, and Jakosh. Izuku trained them all besides Aizawa. Aizawa offered input and was there to help just in case a quirk went out of control, however, today Izuku wanted to try something new with him.
The first part of their training was a two-mile run. Well, Kota ran as much as he could before Izuku would then carry him on his back.
The group panted a bit as they arrived at the door to the bunkers. Izuku straightened up and put Kota on the ground before opening the door. They all walked down the stairs to a wide expansive underground room.
In the right corner were four computers facing away from each other. In the middle was a series of tall bamboo poles. In the middle left of the room was a large bowl a human could fit in with dummies surrounding it. Along the walls were thin poles that stuck out and poles hanging from the ceiling with grips on them. There was a closed-off backbox close to the door and another metal box with heat resistant metal.
After they had gathered in front of the poles, Izuku addressed the group.
"Okay, we will be working on control and quirk power and how to flip it between strong and weak on instant today."
He turned to Kota. "Go to the middle of the poles as usual. Today you will be doing the same as usual, shooting water from your hands and manipulating it to weave in between the poles. Whenever I say Strong you must immediately heighten your output but keep control stable as you continue to weave it in between the poles. Similarly, when I say 'Weak' you must soften your output without stopping it completely. Do you understand, Kota?"
The little boy chirped. "Yes, Chief!" He straightened his red cap on his head and stood tall. Izuku grinned under his mask.
"Todoroki, in the large bowl you will continuously use your ice to skate in the middle of it at a rapid pace in a circle. Previously you have only been doing this for balance and technique on how much ice output you need to stay upright and balance. Now, though, you will be shooting ice and fire from your hands at the dummies around you as you spin at a rapid pace. It will be hard at first to keep balance and shoot accurately but you will get the hang of it. When you can hit all of the dummies while in rapid spinning by your own ice for a few days, we will label the dummies either ice or fire. For now, just do that."
Todoroki nodded. "Yes, Chief Deku."
Izuku turned to Jodie. "Butterfly, continue swinging from the bars on the wall around the room but this time we have added poles to the ceiling as well. You need to use your wings to sing from a bar on a wall and glide across the room and latch on to a pole. You will basically be a monkey with wings. We need you to get to the point where you can move around the outside of this room, aka the walls and ceiling, so quickly one might not even know you are there."
"Chief," she started, "my wings are cracked. If I try to glide to the ones in the middle of the air will fall through. It's why I can't fly!"
He nodded. "Yes, they are, but you can still move them. You can cup them downwards and let the air flow through."
"Let it?"
"Yes, let it. Let it lift you just enough to keep you up till you reach the bar."
"But what if I miss?!"
"You will inevitably miss at some point but you will need to be able to catch yourself during battle too. It's even more prominent that you can catch yourself and/or fall correctly in a battle so this is training for both of those. In time we will add your whip and your technique for capturing a person within your wings. For now, try your best with this." He put his hands on Jodie's shoulders. "I believe you can do this, Butterfly."
She paused but then gave a sharp nod. "Yes, Chief!"
Izuku's sunglasses went happy and he put his hands down. "Great!"
He turned to Yashu.
"Your Echolocation is usable even if you are in a box, am I right?"
Yashu nodded. "It is more than just Echolocation. I able to pinpoint a person's location through their breathing patterns and the wind in the air and by the sound they make when they vibrate."
"Can you do this from a different room?" Izuku asked.
"I can do this behind a wall or in a different room as well by the way the wind carries through the cracks in the doors and walls and by the way sound will still travel if the wall is not that thick."
Izuku grinned.
"Perfect. Every time I stop to talk to the others you need to relay to me my position in the room and what is around me at the time. I will have a mic on and so will you." Izuku handed a mic. "Can you sense the position of inanimate objects?"
"I can if they are moving," Yashu replied. "Ok, so we will work on that as well. Do you understand what you are doing?" Yashu nodded. "Yes, Chief Deku." Izuku turned to Jakosh, the dragon-like boy.
"Jakosh, I understand you have a higher body temperature than normal?"
The scaled boy nodded. "I do, Chief."
"Can you raise it yourself?"
"Slightly if I try hard enough," he replied. Izuku chewed his lip. "How much?"
"Enough to melt metal, Chief." Izuku grinned. "That is perfect. I understand you do dance as well?" The dragon boy nodded. "Alright, this is what we are going to do: Jakosh you will be in the metal box training to raise your body temperature, specifically in your hands and claws. Jakosh, until you can raise your body heat high enough to claw through that heat resistant box. When you can do that, we will implement a dance fighting style that you can use that in. Okay?"
Jakosh paused. "I- I'll try, Chief."
*CLAP*
Izuku clapped loudly. "Ok, Eraserhead and Cateye, I need to talk with you two but the rest of you go to your stations and start training!"
"YES, CHIEF!"
_______________________________
Grimlin and Doom stood in the other training bunker with about 15 members of the rejects. Doom and Bubblegum had been switching off and on taking care of Rena and training in the Quirkless Rejects. Today Grimlin and Doom were training a group of quirkless members in hand to hand combat.
Animation and the Fox twins were in the underground bunker with Giran making a transaction for guns and weapons and receiving shipments.
Jester was at the warehouse keeping them all in check.
Ruske had finished up the blog for Chief Deku.
Things were getting ready but not quite ready enough.
_______________________________
Izuku reviewed the blog that Ruske had finished typing out. It was a blog for the Quirkless Pals website and for the Quirkless Rejects website. He grinned and pressed 'Post.'
_______________________________
DEKU DAYS!
- May 20, 2020
Hello friends! No, you did not read the name wrong, I am here! Deku, the leader of the Quirkless Rejects! And I am here to issue another call to arms. First, let us have a random fact. Just like the good ol' days!
Did you know that the newest Christmas trends planned to be set in place this coming winter is upside down Christmas trees? Weird right? Better not fall behind!
Now, friends, quirkless, rejected quirked, I am sure you have all seen the video. The Quirkless Rejects are starting a war. You've heard of, and some have lived through, World War One and Two. Now, get ready for World War Quirkless!
Friends we can stay silent no longer! You know how poorly we are treated, you've seen it and lived it in your own lives. No more should we have to endure this! Friends, join us... Join us in battle.
June 1st meet us at Kyota Bridge, just like Halloween last year. We will welcome you with open arms. But it will not be easy, you will HAVE TO leave EVERYTHING behind besides necessities. We are entering the end now, there is no room for any compromise. We will have living quarters for all of you. Up until the war actually starts we will train you in hand to hand combat, train the quirked in protection and fighting, and have everyone fully equipped with a weapon of choice so that we will stand a VERY STRONG fighting chance against our enemy: Society.
We understand this is not an easy decision but we'd like for you to consider it. Think of all you have been through, friends. Everything you have had to endure. Now, think of the future generations to come. With the depleting existence of the quirkless the cruelty and discrimination towards them will only get that much worse. Furthermore, quirked or not, the rejected title will always be held by someone, that is just how society works.
BUT IT IS WRONG!
Friends YOU can be part of the war to change that and right what is wrong. You can insure that the generations of rejects to come will not have to live as rejects and suffer through what you did. So, friends, I urge you and ask for your help one last time, join the cause and fight for our justice.
We cannot do it without you.
- DEKU
_______________________________
Quirkless Rejects
- May 20, 2020
Allies and comrades! We must assemble! No longer can we be separated in our respective countries. The war is coming and we have no more time for leniency. Unless you wish to drop from the Quirkless Rejects and to have that tattoo removed, meet us at the Kyota Bridge, or where your designated leaders of announced to you, on the first of June. I know we had previously said that you could stay in your homes if wanted but that can no longer be the case.
This is war. You have made your allegiance to this and now you must prove it. We will train all of you for the upcoming war, and trust me, it is coming sooner than you think.
I apologize but I can not be easy on you with this any longer so let me say this loud and clear:
Come or leave the Quirkless Rejects.
This is a crucial time. If you are truly on our side then you must be here with us come June 1st so we can train. This is war, comrades. Not a play fight you have with your friends. People will DIE. Many will be injured. This will shake the world. We will have each of you check in by your usernames. If you have not then we will consider you as one who does not want to fight and personally go to you in person to get your word and contract of silence signed. We can leave no gaps.
This will be hard, I know it. For you and your families and friends, many of which most likely do not know you are affiliated with the Quirkless Rejects. But... this is necessary. Join us as we near closer to our goal. We can't do it without you.
See you all on June 1st.
- QR MAIN BRANCH
_______________________________
Hitoshi and Todoroki stumbled into their room. They trained for four hours... Both of them faceplanted onto their respective beds. Well, Peppermint did. Hitoshi had to take his cat-like disguise off first. All of the Lights were required to wear them when in the warehouse and in front of other members unless they were in their living quarters like they are now.
AFTER taking off the disguise, Hitoshi promptly faceplanted into his pillow.
He heard Peppermint grumbled with a muffled voice. "It's almost like Endeavor all over again..."
Hitoshi snorted but otherwise made no comment. He turned off the lamp and rolled onto his back. The purple-haired teen rubbed his forehead as he snuggled under the covers. His head throbbed and his brain felt like mush. Any deep thinking made his head hurt badly. He was working with his quirk for soooo long and it generally requires the brain function of brainwashing.
That made him stop.
One would think that this would be even enough to bypass insomnia but just the thought of what he pulled off today kept him awake. Eraserhead too. Just the thought of what they did made shivers go up and down his spine. Eraserhead erased Hitoshi's quirk through a screen. A screen! They did a video chat and then had Eraserhead stare at the video of him speaking and then he tried to get his quirk to work but it didn't! Eraserhead was still technically was looking at him in real-time. Still, it took actually do it and Hitoshi wouldn't doubt Eraserheads head hurt just as much, though he was as apathetic as ever.
Then he remembered what he did...
They put Eraserhead in a whole other room and video chat with each other once again, speaking through microphones. Then, after almost two and a half hours, it happened. Hitoshi grinned at the thought of it and what he could possibly do with this.
He remembered it perfectly as over video chat he witnessed Eraserheads face go blank as Hitoshi brainwashed him through a screen.